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“Journeys to School” exhibition at UNESCO

On 10 April 2013, under a light rain, the President and CEO of TRANSDEV, the President of SIPA and the Director-General of UNESCO jointly inaugurated the photo exhibition “Journeys to School,” dedicated to the ways taken by children around the world to get to class, by all means possible – on foot, by bus, boat, bicycle, rickshaw, sled, donkey and subway.

"Rain is the least difficult of all obstacles for all these children on their way to school," said the Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, after visiting the exhibition shown on the Organization’s metal fencing until 2 May. Warmly congratulating the photographers for their professionalism and commitment, she highlighted that "these pictures tell a universal story, which applies on all continents: no development is possible without quality education. Nothing shall prevent the journey to school -- not poverty, conflict, discrimination, or disability”.

The CEO of TRANSDEV, Mr Jean-Marc Janaillac, underlined the desire of the transportation company to facilitate access to education and create social ties, while the President of SIPA, Miguel Ferro, praised the "power of images, carrying constructive and positive messages”.

The exhibition will itself travel until 2015 and is the result of a unique collaboration between UNESCO, TRANSDEV and Sipa Press, who tasked 18 photojournalists to document journeys to school around the world. A publication containing the pictures is also available in English and French.